We have published a handbook about our plans to inspect health and social care in secure settings.
The handbook for providers of health and social care in prisons, young offender institutions (YOIs) and healthcare in immigration removal centres (IRC) sets out our new approach to inspection and the way we will work in partnership with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP).
Our role in inspecting, monitoring and regulating healthcare in secure settings is important because people there are unable to choose their provider.
The nature of detention means that it is largely out of sight and this puts detainees in a more vulnerable situation where they rely on the authorities for their safety, care and wellbeing.
This makes monitoring even more important so that we make sure the care provided in these settings is the same quality as the care provided to the rest of the population.
Our approach has been developed through consultation and pilot testing and uses expert teams, making better use of evidence. We have worked with HMIP, providers and other organisations with an interest in our work to develop it. Our approach is aligned with the five key questions we ask of all services, which are, are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
With HMIP, we will inspect every provider that delivers registered services within the secure setting during a scheduled prison inspection. We will inspect a prison at least every two to three years, YOIs every year and an IMC once every four years.
Although we have introduced ratings as a part of our new approach to inspection in other sectors, we do not intend to rate in secure settings.